This is the place for photos and reflections of my visits to Latin America beginning in 2012. Previous blogs are linked on the main pages of my photo collections on flickr. HAPPY TRAILS!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

SAFE AND SOUND IN ANTIGUA

Hi, all!

Mike and I are traveling and once again I will be sending out updates as wifi strength and time allow. Feel free to unsubscribe if you don't want to receive more updates (link at the bottom) and to forward our emails if you know someone else who might be interested.

We have been blessed with a string of stunning sunrises followed by equally colorful days. Here is our last sunrise at home.

We had a nice visit with my dad and then headed to Portland where we picked up burgers at an historic diner to eat while we watched a World Series game in our hotel room near the airport. Next morning we watched the sunrise evolve as we flew to LA.

Note to self: try to avoid flying through LAX on future trips. We flew to DFW in Dallas for a smooth connection to our Guatemala-bound flight.

The sun sets around 6 or 6:30 year round this close to the equator.

We wormed our way from Guatemala City to Antigua through heavy traffic in the fine company of our driver, Enrique, arranged for us by our favorite little hotel in Antigua, Casa Cristina.

After a great night's sleep in this angelic room

we checked out the views from the rooftop terrace which included this rose,

this view of the active Volcán Fuego,

and early morning light on La Merced.

We enjoyed a robust breakfast just down the block at Fernando's (that is house chocolate in those crepes and, yes, breakfast dessert is worth a try)

and focused our few hours of Antigua exploration time this trip on gorgeous La Merced.

We also looped around the parque central, under the iconic Santa Catalina arch, and through the museumesque Nim Pot store to spark folk art ideas for our home in San Pedro, but I have taken more than my fair share of photos of those places (and subjected many of you to them) so kept my camera in my pocket.

We repacked the few items that had escaped our luggage and said goodbye to Karin at Casa Cristina

and traveled in a van with driver Manuel from Antigua to Panajachel (also arranged through Casa Cristina) with a brief view stop and a brief bathroom break.

1.5 quetzales each (about 12 cents) for entrance to the (toilet seatless) bathroom in the parque central of Sololá and a folded hank of toilet paper.

We ate a snacky lunch (fruit juice and pastries purchased at the bakery across from La Merced in Antigua) on the lancha from Pana to San Pedro - transition from Oregon to San Pedro complete.

About Me

I've been a teacher for more than 34 years, recently retired from directing Structured Learning Centers for kids with autism and multiple disabilities in The Dalles, Oregon. I did my undergraduate work at Lewis & Clark College and my SpEd Masters at Portland State University. Gaining conversational ease in Spanish is an important professional and personal goal for me and I find attending Spanish schools in Latin America and volunteering with local organizations both productive and addictive. I'm hoping to help others with their goals along the way and have developed the Live and Learn in Latin America program to provide credit for immersion, volunteer, and cultural learning projects.
ALSO...In the course of my immersion studies in Latin America, I fell in love with the people of San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala and am working in cooperation with the Cooperativa Spanish School to match scholarship sponsors with promising students who would otherwise be limited to 6 years of school: BecaProject.org